﻿ Panic attacks have a way of popping up at the most inconvenient times – like when you are recording a podcast. In this episode, Gabe has a panic attack in front of the microphone and decides that the silver lining is showing listeners that even someone in recovery has symptoms . Listen in to this episode to learn about panic attacks and see if Gabe makes it out okay. (Spoiler alert: He’s fine.) SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW “We call ourselves recovered, but these symptoms don’t entirely go away.” – Michelle Hammer Highlights From ‘Panic Attack Live’ Episode [2:30] Gabe is having a panic attack and we recorded it. [4:00] What caused this panic attack? [7:40] Gabe’s history of panic attacks. [11:00] Why does Gabe know so much about his own illness? [12:50] Michelle’s presence and this show make Gabe stressed out. [18:00] Is public opinion a stressor? [25:00] Symptoms don’t entirely go away, even with meds. Computer Generated Transcript for ‘Host Has a Panic At ...

You can get through this. When you first find out about your spouse’s infidelity, the pain of betrayal is unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced. You may not even be sure yet if you’re interested in surviving infidelity; you may only feel the pain of find out that your partner has been cheating on you. And while you’re reeling from the new of the affair, you understandably aren’t even sure if you know how to deal with your husband or wife being a cheater yet. And that’s totally OK. If you recently discovered your spouse cheated and you are still roiling from the shock, you might feel despair about whether surviving infidelity is even possible. No doubt you feel unprepared for the emotional tumult even if you’ve suspected the cheating for a long time. As devastating as it is, from here you have to figure out how to get on with your life and meet the challenge of surviving infidelity. What do you do next? Now that you know the truth of the aff ...

Rarely does a person emerge from childhood completely unscathed. Most of us learn to protect ourselves with defense mechanisms and personality traits that ensure our safety in the world. By adopting certain behavioral patterns, we unconsciously or consciously seek security and stability. We wear different kinds of masks to keep us from getting too hurt. However, in doing so, we close ourselves off from authentic relationships and stay stuck in the scabs of our childhood wounds. By identifying our protective shields, we can begin to heal from past hurts and enjoy deeper intimacy with our loved ones. While our coping strategies are as varied as our personalities, here are ten of the most typical masks we wear. Ask yourself: Which mask do you wear? 1. The Cool Guy By all outward appearances, this person seems to have mastered whatever it takes to stay calm in all situations. Unrattled by conflict or chaos, this person possesses the composure of a Tibetan monk. However, beneath the surfac ...

Do you find you don’t deal with situations or relationships as successfully as you’d like? Do you feel depressed, anxious, or think negative things about yourself, others or the world? If so, it could be that your blueprint is holding you back. You can think of your blueprint as everything you felt, saw, thought, touch, tasted, laughed or cried at. Millions of experiential data points creating your unique map of how the world works. But a map created before you are cognitively mature enough to understand or handle difficult situations. Because this blueprint comes from the cause and effect on a child mind there can be limitations on how we now see the world. If we had good mentoring, a stable view of ourselves, and satisfying relationships, then it’s likely we’ll have a healthy blueprint. However, if we experienced poor mentoring, a negative view of ourselves, with less than stable relationships, then our blueprint could be more dysfunctional. Leading us to see the world as un ...

Schizophrenia continues to be one of the lesser understood disorders of brain development. It is generally believed to involve both genetic and environmental influence and shares many risk factors with other brain disorders such as autism and intellectual disability. However, determining the exact path schizophrenia follows is difficult, to say the least. In an August 2018 study , researchers gathered enough data to describe brain development patterns associated with schizophrenia. Specifically, results indicated that parts of the brain’s cortex, which is the outermost layer of neural tissue in the brain, develop differently in people diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, in an interesting study published December 2018 in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers discovered some encouraging news about what happens to the brain in the period immediately following the onset of schizophrenia. Using functional MRI brain imaging they determined that during the first one to two years following diagno ...

Everyone has regrets, but you always imagine that those regrets revolve around action you took and the mistakes you believe you’ve made. We focus so much on the decisions we make in the moment, wondering if we made the wrong choice in hindsight, but a recent study published in the journal Emotion indicates that the old adage still rings true: it’s not the things you do in life that you regret, it’s the things you don’t do. In a study entitled “The Ideal Road Not Taken,” Cornell psychologists identified three elements that make up a person’s sense of self. Your actual self consists of qualities that you believe you possess. Your ideal self is made up of the qualities you want to have. Your ought self is the person you feel you should have been, according to your personal obligations and responsibilities. 1 In surveying the responses of hundreds of participants in six studies, the researchers found that, when asked to name their single biggest regret in life, 76 ...

When people think about being kind to themselves and practicing self-love, it’s often considered in a noncommittal, “Yes, I really should be doing that more,” sort of way. Then they go about their merry way, continuing the same old behaviors and being anything but kind to themselves. Fortunately, a number of people do decide they are finally ready to start loving themselves. But what made them ready, and why have they waited so long to start? What about you — are you ready to start treating yourself with kindness and learn how to love yourself fully, the way you deserve? Where do you find yourself on the “self-love/being kind to yourself” scale currently? Are you at the bottom, clueless as to what loving yourself even means, or slowly crawling up the scale, wondering why it took you so long to treat yourself with love and kindness? 10 Things You’re Doing Because You’re Finally Starting to Love Yourself I asked myself that same question many years ag ...

We all do it. We try to wish our thoughts away. When our mind turns to a stressful work situation, a craving for a cigarette, or a fantasy we shouldn’t be having, we immediately try to remove the thought from the gray matter of our brains. We start a random conversation with the person next to us, we concentrate harder on a work assignment, or we put our index fingers in our ears, and sing, “La la la la, I can’t hear you!” Consider every long song you hear on the radio. How many begin or end with the lyrics, “I can’t get you out of mind”? The human brain is conditioned to obsess — its negative bias makes us worry and fret. Despite our valiant efforts to shift our thoughts, they follow us into the shower and to work meetings. The Untamed Thought It’s time to accept the good/bad news: Thought suppression doesn’t work. The harder you try to eliminate something from your mind, the more likely it will stalk you. A 1943 study published in the Social Science Research ...

If you’ll be in San Francisco in April, you might want to check out the 2019 Integrative Mental Health Conference . I just got an email that it will take place from April 15-17. It’s described as a conference primarily for professionals, but non-healthcare professionals also attend. There will be information on complementary and alternative medicine, effectiveness of integrative treatment such as nutrition, sleep and spiritual counseling, in addition to conventional treatments. The conference is hosted by the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. Let me know if you decide to go! Speak Wisely! 17 Phrases That Can Destroy Your Relationship (Sorting Out Your Life) – If you’re using words like, “You always,” and “You never,” you could be hurting your relationship. 11 Manipulative Ways Narcissists, Sociopaths and Psychopaths Sabotage Their Victims (Part 2): Survivors Speak Out (Recovering from a Narcissist) – Yikes! You ...

Anticipation is a funny thing. If you are anticipating something fun it can seem like you can’t focus, you might think about it constantly, you might talk about it to anyone who will listen, all with a big smile on your face. Anticipating something stressful, however, can do all of the same things — just without the smile. In this case rather than being excited you are filled with dread over what you think is about to come. But what if you feel that sense of dread all of the time, whether there is something good or bad ahead of you? Unfortunately, there are a number of people who live day-to-day in a near state of panic, dreading almost everything about their life, waking up every morning with the sense that something terrible is about to happen, or that everything they have to do or want to do will go badly. The constant feeling of dread is a symptom of an anxiety disorder and can often go unrecognized. This lack of awareness of a problem can happen because these feelings hav ...

The Golden Rule is a good first pass at an attempt at empathy. You probably know how it goes: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Although it is generally believed to have come from the Bible, the maxim is found in many religions and cultures. In fact, in 1993, it was endorsed in the Declaration Toward a Global Ethics by 143 religious leaders from most of the worlds’ major faiths. It has even been found in manuscripts from ancient Egypt and China. It appears that people have been told to use themselves as a way to understand others’ feelings since the beginning of time. But the Golden Rule really is only a very first pass at empathic understanding. Treating others as we want to be treated doesn’t take into account that the other people in question might not experience things in the same way we do. Sometimes it’s not even close. Enter what has been called the Platinum Rule. “Treat others as they would like to be treated.” Notice the difference. Instead ...

﻿ Toxic relationships come in many forms. They can include physical abuse, emotional abuse, and more. Most of us, at one point or another, will find ourselves in one… perhaps with a romantic partner, possibly a friend, or even with a family member. Even good relationships can sour and turn toxic. So what do we do when we realize that we’re in such a relationship? Listen for some excellent advice and information. Subscribe to Our Show! And Remember to Review Us! About Our Guest Kati Morton is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Santa Monica, CA. Her popular YouTube channel has hundreds of thousands of subscribers and her videos about mental health have over thirty-seven million views combined. TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS SHOW TRANSCRIPT Editor’s Note : Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you. Narrator 1: Welcome to the Psych Central show, where each episode pre ...

“Musicians must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he’s to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.” ~ Abraham Maslow February is often thought of as the month of love. For some people this refers to romantic love, and for others, it might refer to love for a friend or relative. It can also be about the love — or lust — for life and living life to its fullest, which means listening to the messages of your heart and going in the direction of what brings you the most joy. Many people experience unhappiness at different times, and often they’re unsure of what to do to change or transform their situations. They may feel that they want something more out of life, but they don’t know what that something is. In essence, we all want to be happy and make some sort of impact on the world, and the places where we want to do so are usually those areas we feel passionate about, and which are connected to our life’s purpose. ...

Falling in love feels euphoric, transporting us into a world of vivid colors. Everything is new and exciting. At first glance, it’s not much different from the experience of infatuation. However, over time, a love relationship evolves into a deep intimacy that strengthens each partner, while infatuation erodes one’s self-esteem, triggers addiction, and fosters insecurity. How do you know if what you have is love or infatuation? Here are a few ways you can begin to distinguish between the two. Love breeds peace, infatuation breeds chaos Among her “30 Ways You Can Tell The Difference Between Love And Infatuation,” Rania Naim says, “Infatuation makes you act irrationally or ‘crazy.’ Love calms you down. Infatuation is reckless with our emotions. Love is more considerate.” Love works toward sanity, grounding you in a security that fosters peace. It’s based on mutual understanding and trust. You seldom obsess about when or if your love will call, nor do you spend ...

Despite many of us in the modern world enjoying a level of comfort and luxury that would be been unimaginable for most of human history, we still find it very hard to be happy. In fact, it seems that modern society is contributing to our fatigue and discontentment — with high-pressure working lives, decreased sense of community and a perceived lack of meaning all causing strain. As much as we may struggle, however, the pursuit of happiness is still the primary goal for most people. While it would be trite to suggest that meditation can solve all our problems, there are reasons why it can help us achieve this goal. Experiencing Less Stress Our “fight or flight” response is continually triggered in day-to-day life by our “lizard brain” stress response system, which cannot differentiate between a true emergency and something routine — such as running late, or demands at work. The stress response evolved in order for us to detect and face life-threatening situations, b ...

In my new book, Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity , I write that it is the present moment that matters the most, and if we value the moments of our lives, we will want to make the most of each one, and not let any moment go by without having lived it as truthfully and authentically as we can. But what does it mean to live “authentically”? The definition of authentic is “genuine” and “real,” or in other words, the combination of all your true qualities and characteristics. However, I like to describe authentic as “living your truth in the present moment.” I know, it’s easy to want to hide or conceal certain aspects of ourselves we may not love, but once we start to hide who we really are, it can slip away from us to the point that we are living dishonestly to our true nature, and why would we want to do that? Fear, insecurity, doubt. Those are some of the emotions that strip us of our true nature. And before we know it, we are not living our truth in the ...

Most of us know a family that speaks a foreign language at home. Children in these families can switch seamlessly between the language they speak with their parents and the one they speak with their peers, teachers, and other adults. This facility with multiple languages benefits children in numerous ways, including in being able to navigate a multicultural world. When I’m working with parents whose children struggle with emotional self-regulation, I try to frame self-regulation as a type of language that takes time and effort to learn and master. As with a foreign language, the key to helping children strengthen their self-regulation skills is to foster an immersive environment in which they can practice, make mistakes, and ultimately grow. To this end, I encourage families to practice self-regulation together . Creating a family culture around emotional self-regulation accomplishes several goals. First, if everyone is practicing and playing together, then the “game” of acquiri ...

Navigating life with chronic illness can feel like a full-time job so much so that you can neglect a very important piece. Self-care. But I’m not talking solely about the basics like making sure you eat the right food, drink enough water and get enough sleep. I’m talking about fun. If you spend any time with children, you know play is a serious matter. Play is how they explore the world and practice the things they learn. Just because we’re not kids anymore, doesn’t mean fun isn’t important. It plays an integral role in our emotional wellness and mental health. So as you’re planning your week, make sure to incorporate activities that you enjoy doing. Things like singing, gardening, hiking, and jumping on a trampoline, that has nothing to do with winning or succeeding, and do it just for the fun of it. 38 Daily Affirmations For Healing Your Childhood Emotional Neglect (Childhood Emotional Neglect) – These affirmations were made specifically for ...

“Only this moment is life.” – Thich Nhat Hanh Many forms therapy and spiritual practice speak of mindfulness. Dispositional mindfulness (sometimes known as trait mindfulness) is a type of consciousness that has only recently been given serious research considerations. It is defined as a keen awareness and attention to our thoughts and feelings in the present moment, and the research shows that the ability to engage in this prime intention has many physical, psychological, and cognitive benefits. Mindfulness meditation is different. It has taken the Buddhist practice of mindfulness and introduced it to the western world as a form of preparing and training. Those who practice mindfulness meditation are often encouraged to have a “sitting practice,” where they have set aside time to meditate. In the West, this practice is considered a means to an end. We will be calmer, have lower blood pressure, better relationships, and less stress if we use this practice. While ...

You’re about to ask for a promotion at work. You’re about to ask for a raise. You’re about to resign from your 9-to-5 to start your own business. You’re about to take a step toward expanding your business. You’re about to give a speech. You’re about to have a hard conversation. You’re about to say ‘yes’ or say ‘no’ to a significant opportunity. You’re about to advocate for yourself—which is something you’ve actually rarely done before. And you need to feel empowered. Because right now you feel anything but empowered or confident or capable. Maybe there isn’t some big event or situation that requires you to feel up for the task. Maybe you simply need to feel empowered to be productive and get things done every day—like Alyssa Mairanz’s clients, who struggle with self-deprecating and judgmental thoughts. Either way, there are some fairly simple and effective ways that you can feel empowered. Here are eight tips to try. Acknowledge your f ...

“Design for accessibility, build for usability.” The importance of inclusive design has been emphasized by many people for a long time. However, creators and developers, more often than not, do not necessarily consider it as an important aspect of product conception and development. In simplest of words, inclusive design encourages products and/or services to be designed in ways that can make it easy for people with disabilities to use them. That is what Cory Joesph, a User Experience Program Manager at Microsoft, who is visually impaired, explains very well in this short movie below. Just like everyone else, Cory uses technology to go about his day. For example, to travel to his destination, he requests a ride from his Uber app. However, he does that through VoiceOver, the screen reader app on iPhones that narrates all options on the phone to him. While sitting in his Uber, another app, BlindSquare, announces the intersections he is passing. He wears an eone watch that ha ...

﻿ Valentine’s Day comes but once a year and is experienced in different ways depending on your age, gender, or whether or not you are in a relationship. Not surprisingly, mental health status plays a role in the way this holiday is experienced, as well. Listen in as our hosts play the ever-popular Two Truths and a Lie to describe all they went through being depressed while dating. SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW “You don’t tell a girl, ‘Don’t take that pill.’” – Michelle Hammer Highlights From ‘Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Depression, and Valentine’s Day’ Episode [1:25] We are playing Two Truths and a Lie – Valentine’s Day edition [2:40] Michelle’s 1st story, “Alabama Stigma” [6:10] Gabe’s 1st story, “High-school Dating Suicide” [10:00] Michelle’s 2nd story, “The true story that Michelle told already” [11:44] Gabe’s 2nd story, “Married Chick” [17:00] Michelle’s 3rd story, “Break up Because Michelle Bad Mom” [18:50] Gabe’s 3rd sto ...

Everyone needs a good therapist, that’s my personal opinion anyways. We are comfortable taking our cars for occasional tune-ups, and we regularly scan and update our various devices to ensure that they’re in good working order — so why not do the same for our mental health? That’s why I encourage my teens to see a therapist. I want them to understand that going for counseling is healthy, positive, and beneficial. I don’t want them having a completely outdated mindset that only crazy people need therapy. Therapy doesn’t need to be reserved for a life-altering event or serious mental health problems. Instead, it should be part of a healthy routine for everyone who wants to maintain healthy relationships with themselves and others, while progressing towards who they want to become. Certainly, everyone stands to gain from getting a fresh perspective on their issues, reflecting on their lives and improving their coping skills. Teens Need Therapy Teenagers nowadays are espec ...

Having to deal with problem behavior in your child can leave you feeling frustrated and helpless. But what if this behavior was sparked by anxiety? A number of studies have found that children’s inability to process difficult emotions often leads to what commonly comes across as “problem” behavior. This may look like uncontrollable tantrums, unpredictability and impulsiveness, extreme clinginess, an inability to do what is expected (for example, an inability to follow simple instructions in school or at home), developmental difficulties, uncontrollable anger, extreme reactions, defiance and aggressive or dangerous behavior that puts your child or those around him in danger. There is now solid evidence that the behavior of children suffering from high anxiety closely resembles that of children with behavioral disorders. 1 What this means is that a child unable to manage her anxiety may be diagnosed as suffering from common disruptive behavior disorders such as attention deficit h ...